Nevada County picayune., 1887-10-06
AN OLD HUNTERS STORY,


 "id acquaintance by the name of Green, who went from Western Pennsylvania, where he had led a pretty eyentful life, his house hay Ing been burned twice over his head by Indians, during the early settlement of that state. He had lost two of his children by the same means, so that he had cause enough to emierate.
 He settled on MansOn's River, or rather creek, which flowed just by his door, and which mule or two below descended fully a hun. dred feet by d series of rapids which were sure death for any man to attempt to shoot who was not perfect master of guiding a canoe. Green could never sum. mon courage to attempt it in his birch canoe until he had seen iue do It; but he gained courage after awhile. and learned to do it with an ease and confidence equal to my own. When we engaged in fishing we frequently performed the feat, until it became d matter of amusement with both of us.
 Green had a wife, and one child of about six years, who was as in teresting a little girl as l ever saw. 1 was much attached to her, as l never had d family of my own, and she appeared to regard me with an affection secoud only to that which she entertained for her parents.
 Shortly after 1 took my quar- ters with them, in the autumn of ISIS, l was seized with the chills and fever, and did not entirely re- cover until spring. 1 was nursed and treated so well by the entire family, that when became we'll again, l agreed to remain through the season, and to assist him in clearing his land, and getting his scanty seed under ground.
 At that time there:were Indians all around us, and some of them were of the very worst kind. They hated a white man like poison, and l was sure we would have trouble with them. 1t was that. more than anything else, that made me ahx. ious 10 remain with them until the country became more settled.
 The season was pretty we'll ad. vanced, when a man called at our house one day, and told us that a party of Indians had attacked the settlers farther up the creek, and after masSacreinG several families, were descending tine creek in q large canoe, for the purpose of serving us in the same manner.
 This was alarming news indeed, and we decided to change our quarters at once, while there was Il prospect of escape. Green pro posed that we should start through the woods for the settlement; but as that was twenty miles distant, and knew they would follow our trail with the speed and certainty of the bloodhound, he took my ad- vice, which was to embark in the canoe, leaving everything behin d us. By this means we could ef- iectually cover Onr trail; and as the shores were both lined with a luxuriant, overhanginG under growth, we could glide under GOV. CT and remain concealed until the danger was passed.
 This was a good plan, and would have succeeded admirably had it been adopted an hour sooner. The hunter who mad given us the intel ligence started at once down the stream, in the hopes that he might be able to warn some of the other settlers in time. The light canoe comfortably seated us four, inclu' the little girl, and within fifteen minutes after the alarm reached us. we showed out from the bank, {, Green took the paddle and we started on our perilOus descent ol the creek, which, however, was large enough to deserve the name of river.
 We had scarcely showed out from the shore when n whoop reached our ears, and looking back we saw to our dismay that the In dian canoe was in sight. The red skins had discovered us and natu. rally enough, determined that we should not elude them in this easy manner 1 olancel at the miscre.